Santa Barbara County appears ready to resist federal election demands as court declines to force ballot purge

Santa Barbara County officials appeared undeterred Monday by a U.S. Department of Justice demand that election chiefs across California find ballots from noncitizens and separate them from voter rolls.

“With just a week until Election Day, the most important thing people can do is vote,” said county Supervisor Laura Capps, who represents the Second District. “These eleventh-hour intimidation tactics are exactly what we expected and prepared for.”

The county’s emerging position gained traction after a 2-1 Monday decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which declined to immediately order the state to set aside as many as 20,000 mail-in ballots.

And it reportedly followed a conference call that included authorities from the California Secretary of State’s office and elections officials from most California counties.

“We’re encouraged that the federal court of appeals has denied the administration’s request…  and we’re continuing to monitor the case in coordination with the California Secretary of State and counties across the state,” Capps said.

At the same time, several officials and county employees expressed high levels of frustration Monday—with one calling it baffling that lame duck county elections chief Joseph Holland wasn’t responding to requests for information and more available to deal with the federal pressure.

The incumbent Holland lost re-election in the June 2 primary after 24 years of service. He’s worked from home for nearly two years citing health issues.

The demand by federal officials—and pushback across California—follows months of concerns expressed by local authorities and residents about nationwide election integrity.

In April, the county Board of Supervisors in a 5-0 vote requested reports and public education on election safety and voting rights—to help prepare people, they said, for the possibility that immigration enforcement officers may attempt to intimidate or deter voters.   

On Friday, DOJ officials reportedly delivered letters with the names of suspected noncitizen voters to election officials in every county in California.

In its letter to Santa Barbara County, the justice officials named 180 suspected noncitizens registered to vote, according to a Thomson Reuters report.

That Santa Barbara number could not be independently verified. Holland and members of his team did not respond to several News-Press requests for comment.

“The Elections Division is led by an elected department head, who has discretion and authority over matters related to their department,” said Jackie Ruiz, communications and outreach coordinator for the County Executive Office. “The County of Santa Barbara supports the Elections Division’s efforts by helping share information that encourages voter participation.”

The DOJ list included 1,754 names in Orange ⁠County, 1,355 in Riverside County, 1,133 in San Bernardino ⁠County, 334 in Ventura County and 63 ​in San Luis Obispo County, Thomson Reuters reported.  

The federal government sued on Oct. 15, asking a judge to bar the state from counting mail-in ballots from people the federal government has identified as likely noncitizens.

Tuesday’s ruling sends the case back to the U.S. District Court in California, where a Tuesday hearing was scheduled.

Across the state, reaction to the letters in some counties was swift.

On Saturday, John Tuteur, the registrar of voters for Napa County, told the Associated Press his office was moving forward with no changes.

“All of this is simply meant to raise huge doubts about the integrity of this election,” Tuteur said. “We’re not changing anything we’re doing. We’re proceeding with the election.”

Santa Cruz County Clerk Tricia Webber told ABC10 that more than half of the 81 names identified by federal officials there are no longer voters in the county.

Webber, president of the Association of California Clerks and Election Officials, also said one name identified by federal officials belonged to someone who apparently never registered to vote there.

“We don’t know exactly where this list came from,” Webber told the station.

On Monday, Capps urged Holland and his team to continue prioritizing a free and fair election.

“I encourage our Elections Division to remain undeterred by the political demands from the Trump Administration and continue doing what they have always done: uphold the law, protect confidential voter information, and count every legally cast ballot,” Capps said.

“Most importantly,” she said, “voters should know that Santa Barbara County’s elections are administered locally by dedicated public servants with an outstanding track record of conducting safe, secure, accurate, and transparent elections.”

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